


We are ruinous together, but hopeless apart.

by thegirlwhofangirled



Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Mentions of Suicidal Thoughts, post season 1finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2015-06-08
Packaged: 2018-04-03 13:21:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4102504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirlwhofangirled/pseuds/thegirlwhofangirled
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They did this to her, <em>he</em> did this to her. He had already done enough damage, the last thing she needed was to stick with him. He knew he should tell her to go home, to find a ride and get as far away from him as possible, but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Life as they knew it was over now. He was exhausted, and hopeless, and he knew things were bound to be even more difficult from now on. Could it be that having Kate by his side could maybe make things a bit less bitter?</p>
            </blockquote>





	We are ruinous together, but hopeless apart.

**Author's Note:**

> First ever Sethkate fic, so I apologize in advance. Unbetae'd, so all mistakes are mine. Also, how the hell does one title?!?!

If someone came up to him and asked where did all go wrong, Seth would have probably said his life started to go to shit years ago; possibly around the time his dad started to beat him up when he was a kid. At times, when he let his mind wander, he thought of how the hell his father put him through growing up helped him, albeit in a very fucked up way. It certainly served to toughen him up for the shitstorm his life became years later. He’d survived heists, a failed marriage, jail time, and a nest of murderous, blood sucking culebras. He’d been through hell and back, _literally_ , and survived to tell the tale. He was lucky, a survivor.

_And yet…_

As he stood outside the Titty Twister, sweat, dust, and drying blood coating his skin, he couldn’t help but feel his world was falling apart around him all over again. The new life plan he’d set up for Richie and himself went down the drain the moment Carlos Madrigal made him that goddamn job offer. Now his brother was gone to God knew where with Santanico, and Seth was now a wanted man all over the United States. _So much for the Gecko brothers being back._ There was nowhere for him to go. He was back at square one. _Alone_. 

Seth shrugged out of his jacket and threw it aside, allowing himself a minute to let dread of the unknown wash over him, when he saw her; a vision of death bathed in light walking towards him, droplets of blood shining like rubies over face.

For a moment he thought he might’ve been hallucinating. After the night they had all been through he didn’t dare hope anyone else besides himself made it out alive; but there she was, wringing her hands and pale as a ghost. Watching him. He wanted to ask her what had happened but decided not to. Her disheveled and bloody state were enough to let Seth know things had not worked out for her after they parted ways.

“You want some company?” Kate asked shakily, pulling him out of his thoughts.

A week ago he would have outright told her no. He was a bastard, but not a fucking bastard. The Kate standing in front of him was nothing but a shadow of the girl he and his brother had kidnapped days prior. There was blood on her hands, and pure, unadulterated sorrow pouring from her eyes. 

They did this to her, _he_ did this to her. He had already done enough damage, the last thing she needed was to stick with him. He knew he should tell her to go home, to find a ride and get as far away from him as possible, but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Life as they knew it was over now. He was exhausted, and hopeless, and he knew things were bound to be even more difficult from now on. Could it be that having Kate by his side could maybe make things a bit less bitter? 

He felt selfish all of the sudden, and he craved it all; the human connection, their shared fates. She was hope and life made into flesh and he wanted nothing more than to devour her whole, to feel the slightest sliver of hope again. So he said yes, and swallowed harshly at the way her lips trembled into a shy smile. He found himself smiling back and realized he was in way over his head.

*~*~*

For her sixth birthday Kate’s mom got her a small music box with a glass ballerina inside. She had vowed to guard, and cherish it with all of her heart. She remembered being obsessed with the thing, constantly turning the lever to watch the crystal clear ballerina twirl to the music. Her dad used to say the small figurine reminded him of her, beautiful, pure, and _delicate_.

Sitting next to Seth as they drove under the hot Mexican sun, Kate could not stop thinking about how she wished to be made of steel rather than glass. That way she wouldn’t feel her heart and soul breaking into a million pieces and ripping her apart from the inside out.

How could she move on after what she’d just done? How did one come back from taking the life of their own flesh and blood? How was she supposed to survive that? After leaving her father’s lifeless body behind the thought of killing herself had crossed her mind for one second. But how could she, after surviving so much? It would be cop out, and her father’s sacrifice would have been in vain. 

She had started to think maybe leaving with Seth had been a bad idea. Her life was in shambles _because_ of him. Had he and Richie let her family alone instead of kidnapping them Scott would still be human and her father _alive _. The thought was soon dismissed, though. Even if she thought that way, Seth was all she had left now.__

___Better the devil you know..._ _ _

__After arriving at their motel Seth left Kate in the room, claiming he would be back later with supplies. She almost offered to join him, but the look in his eyes let her know the trip was just an excuse to be alone for a while. Funny how Seth wanted to be alone, when Kate wanted the complete opposite. It was why she offered to join him in the first place._ _

__With a sigh she sat down on one of the double beds and began channel surfing, immediately cursing herself for not paying more attention in spanish class; she remembered some of the basic stuff, but the rest was lost on her. The rest of her night consisted of lame attempts at battling sleep and chancing glances at the door, waiting for the moment Seth would come back. _If_ he came back. He had been gone for hours already. Would he really leave her behind? He could. They were strangers after all._ _

__Kate went to the bathroom splash some water on her face; hoping it would serve to keep her awake a little longer, only to cringe at her reflection in the mirror. She quickly pumped some of the cheap motel soap into her hands and scrubbed at her face and hands furiously._ _

__Her face and hands were now clean of any trace of blood, but her soul was still tainted, and it scared her. It was why she didn’t want to be left alone, because she knew the minute she closed her eyes memories of what she had done would haunt her._ _

__They always started the same; her father’s crying face plaguing her vision, his soft voice filling her ears. His whispered, I love you, Katie Cakes, tearing into her heart. Body shaking sobs making it hard for her to breathe, and tears spilling from her eyes. A mournful, Daddy, I love you too, slipping past her lips. Kate opening her eyes, a green culebra gaze staring back at her instead of the familiar blue, and her hand driving the stake into his heart._ _

__The memories came and went every time she let her guard down. While in the car with Seth it had been easier to control them. But in the loneliness of the motel room Kate felt mouthfuls of oxygen leave her lungs, and her heart threatening to beat out of her chest._ _

__Hours later into the night Seth found her shaking on the floor facing the bedroom door, her legs held tightly against her chest and her green eyes vacant._ _

__“Kate! Jesus, Kate, are you okay?” Seth cried, rushing to her side._ _

__He cupped her tear stained face with his hands and cursed, hooking his arms beneath her legs and lifting her off the floor. He grumbled a couple more obscenities under his breath as he carried her to the bathroom and placed her under the hot spray of water coming from the shower head, but Kate was too gone to notice. She sat under spray until the water started to turn tepid and Seth carried her back to her bed._ _

__She was still wearing her damp clothes, but there was no way Seth was getting her out of those himself._ _

__“Kate, what the hell happened?” Seth whispered, wrapping her in towels and blankets._ _

__His question was met with silence. He knelt in front of her and proceeded to rub her hands. They were small, delicate, and fair where his were large, callused, and dark._ _

__“Please, say something.”_ _

__“You left me.” Kate murmured matter of factly._ _

__Seth stopped rubbing warmth into her arms and looked up into cold green eyes. She watched as he leaned away from her, and relished in the shame and guilt reflected on his eyes. Her mamma would’ve been ashamed of her, but Kate didn’t care._ _

__Seth looked away and rubbed his chin.“I told you, Kate. I went to get-”_ _

__“Don’t ever leave me like that again.” She whispered harshly, causing his gaze to snap back to her face. “Please. I thought you weren’t coming _back_.” She rushed out, her last word getting caught in a gasp._ _

__Through eyes blurred by unshed tears Kate saw Seth sigh before standing up and sitting next to her on the bed. The minute she felt his arms go around her the damn broke and Kate threw her arms around his neck, holding on for dear life. He was her lifeline now, there was no way she was letting go._ _

__Seth pulled her closer until she had no option but to crawl onto his lap. His hand rubbed comforting circles on her back until her sobs ceased._ _

__“It’s okay, Kate. You’re gonna be okay.” He murmured soothingly._ _

__Kate shook her head against his neck and let out a muffled, _no I won’t_ , against his skin. _ _

__“Hey,” Seth grabbed her chin and made her look up at him. “Listen to me very carefully, Kate. I would _never_ leave you behind. If that was the case, I would’ve done that back at the Titty Twister when you asked me if I wanted some company.”_ _

__Kate gazed into his dark eyes and saw the truth behind his words. Things might’ve started out rocky between them; yet somewhere along the way they had learned to trust each other. He was all she had now, her life back in Bethel nothing but an almost forgotten memory. Kate held onto the left wrist of the hand cradling her face as he wiped away her tears with the other._ _

__His eyes seemed to take in her entire face, and she didn’t miss the way his gaze lingered on her mouth before he shook himself and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear._ _

__“You’re kinda stuck with me now, Katie cakes.” Seth smirked without any malice._ _

__“That I am.” She murmured, the beginnings of a smile tugging at her lips._ _

__Maybe Seth was right. Maybe she would be okay after all._ _

**Author's Note:**

> Was that bad? Hope this wasn't too ooc. I have a lot of feels about these two and I needed to put them into writing. Kudos, comments, and constructive criticism are more than welcome.


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